Hand luggage case



G. H. WHEARY 1,968,579

HAND LUGGAGE CASE July 31, 1934.

Filed Sept. 15, 1932 r 2 Sheets-Sheet l Mum 550/" 5 1 .722727 WfiearJuly 31, 1934. G, H, WHEARY 1,968,579

HAND LUGGAGE CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 15, 1932 550/75 Han/yWheary 2. W

Patented July 31, 1934 HAND LUGGAGE CASE George Henry Wheary, Racine,Wis., assignor to Wheary Trunk Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation ofWisconsin Application September 15, 1932, Serial No. 633,245

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hand luggage cases and refersmore particularly to carrying cases especially adapted for carrying menssuits and accessories. In many respects 5 the carrying case of thisinvention is similar to that shown and described in my co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 621,325, filed July 8, 1932 Patent No.1,947,542, Feb. 20, 1934.

As in the above mentioned application, it is a general object of thisinvention toprovide a compact hand carrying case capable of carrying atleast three complete suits besides other essential garments andequipment.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hand carrying case inwhich the entire garment carrying unit plus the shoe and other articlereceiving compartment is an independent unit hinged within the case andremovable at will.

0 Another object of this invention resides in the provision of novelmeans for holding the garment supporting means and shoe compartment inan elevated position to afford ready access to r the space therebeneath.

; And a further object of this invention resides in the provision ofnovel means for retaining the individual garment hangers in position.

With the above and otherobjects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my inn) vention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more-particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodi- -5 ment of theherein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 have illustrated one complete example ofthe physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to thebest mode I have so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view with parts broken away and in sectionillustrating a hand luggage case embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the case with parts 1 broken away and insection;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail perspective view illustrating the meansfor supporting the garment carrying unit in an elevated position; and

Figure 4 is a detail perspective'view of the novel hanger retainingmeans.

Referring now more particularly to the accom- 9'5 panying drawings inwhich like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views,the numerals 5 and 6 represent the main section and cover section,respectively, of the case. These sections are hingedly connected as at7. As is customary, a handle 8 and latch means 9 to secure the coverclosed, are provided, opposite the hinged connection.

Mounted within the main section 5 is a garmerit carrying unit indicatedgenerally by the numeral 10. This unit is similar to that forming thesubject matter of the hereinbefore mentioned co-pending application andcomprises two side walls 11 and 12 connected by a rear wall 13 and aninclined partition wall 14. One edge of the partition wall 14 preferablyengages the wall 13 and its opposite edge terminates inwardly of theadjacent outer ends of the side wallsll and 12 and is provided with anenlarged rounded molding 15. r

r The partition wall 14, divides the space defined -by the walls 11, 12and 13 into two chambers which because of the inclination of the wall 14are of varying depths. The deepportion of the chamber or space uppermostwhen the unit is in its normal position as illustrated in Fig. 1,

is adjacent the rear wall 13. In this deep portion of said uppermostchamber'are the individual hangers 16, only one of which is illustrated.

The hangers 16 are of the conventional type, except that the outer endsof their upper cross bars 17 are provided with substantially U-shapedfittings 18 which serve to reinforce or protect the ends of the crossbarand also to space one hanger from the other. The manner in which thehangers are retained in position is particularly important and iseffected in a novel manner to be hereinafter described.

The hangers are, of course, removable to permit the garments to becarried, to be draped thereover, and when in position, the garmentscarried by the hangers extend out over the partition wall 14 to foldabout its rounded edge and extend into the chamber at the opposite sideof the partition. Here the extended end portions of the garmentsare'retained in place by a retaining board 19 removably secured inposition in any suitable manner, but preferably as in the hereinbeforementioned application.

With the garments secured in place as described, they are held entirelywithin the confines of the space allotted thereto.

Shoes and other articles are carried in a novel compartment, indicatedgenerally by the numeral 20. This compartment is formed as part of theunit 10 to be movable therewith and comprises the side wall 12, asimilar side wall 21, a bottom wall 22, end walls 23 and a top 24. Thebottom and end walls and the extreme end portions of the top, rigidlyconnect the side walls 12 and 21, and the central portion of the top isin the form of a cover 25 hinged to the side wall 12 and held closed bysuitable snap fasteners 26.

The entire unit 10 comprising the garment receiving section and the shoecompartment substantially fills the entire cover when the case is closedand part of the main section, being spaced from the bottom wall 27 ofthe main section a distance sufiicient to afford relatively flatcompartments 28 suitable for the reception of shirts and other similargarments. The unit 10 is supported in this position by abutments 29carried by the end walls 30 of the main section and projecting inwardlytherefrom to receive the adja cent edges of the side walls 11 and 21.

To enable the unit 10 to be moved out of its position over the fiatcompartments 28 in the main section, it is hingedly mounted by fittings31. As will be readily apparent, two such hinge fittings are provided,although only one is shown. These fittings comprise arms 32 pivotallyconnected to the side walls 11 and 21, as at 33, with the outer freeends of the arms detachably received in retaining members 34 secured tothe end walls 30 of the main section.

In this manner the entire unit 10 may be swung from a position over themain section to a position elevated and substantially parallel with thecover 6 when the case is open as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Tohold the unit i0 in its elevated position, a novel stop means 35 isprovided. This means consists of a right angularly bent pin 36 havingone end journalled in a bearing 37 secured to the end wall 30 of thecase adjacent the shoe compartment. A slot .38 in the bearing has theinner end or" the journalled pin projected therethrough to definitelylimit the swinging movement thereof.

As best illustrated in 3, this pin may be swung to an operative positionprojecting substantially perpendicularly from the adjacent end wall 30into the path of the end wall 23 of the shoe compartment which is, infact, a continuation of the Wall 13. Obviously, the inoperative positionof the stop pin is one at which its projected end lies flat against thewall 30.

Returning now to the novel manner of detachabl-y mounting the individualgarment hangers in the garment receiving unit, reference is particularlydirected to Fig. 4.

As stated, the garment hangers have U-shaped fittings 18 secured to theouter ends of their cross pieces 17. These fittings are substantiallythe width of the cross pieces and are receivable in channels 39 securedto the side walls 11 and 12. The channels 39 form the retaining meansfor the hangers and are identical at opposite ends of the hangers exceptfor being right and left. The web 40 of each channel is rigidly securedto its respective wall, and the space between its flanges 41 is slightlygreater than the width of the U-shaped fittings 18 so as to readilyreceive the same. As already mentioned, the U-shaped fittings 18 on theends of the hanger cross pieces serve to space the hangers from eachother.

To secure the hangers against accidental displacement from the channelretaining members 39, the top of each is adapted to be closed by a .gate42 hinged to a laterally directed end 43 on one flange 41 and providedwith a notch 44 to interlock with a notch 45 in the other flange 39.

Upstanding finger engaging portions 46 are provided on the gates tofacilitate swinging the same to and from closed position, and topreclude their being swung beyond the wall 13, stops 4'7 are provided.

From the foregoing description taken in 'connection with theaccompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art, that this invention afifords a novel, easily handled and packedhand luggage case.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a hand luggage case of the character described, including a mainsection and a cover section hingedly connected thereto, a garmentcarrying unit comprising side walls connected by an end wall disposedadjacent the hingedly con nected walls of the main section and cover, afixed partition connecting the walls medially of their side edges, meansassociated with said fixed partition to support garments in the spacedefined by said wall of the garment carrying unit, an articlecompartment on the outer face of one of said side walls, and meanshingedly mounting the entire garment carrying unit including the articlecarrying compartment for movement about an axis closely adjacent thehinged connection of the main section and cover to and from a positiondisposed over either main section or cover section when the case isopen.

2. In a hand luggage case of the character described, including a mainsection and a cover section hingedly connected thereto, a movable unitwithin the case, said unit comprising a continuous rear wall disposedadjacent the hingedly connected walls of the main section and coversection, extreme side walls extending from said rear wall and disposedadjacent the end walls of the main section and cover section when thecase is closed, an intermediate side wall spaced a short distance fromone of said extreme side walls to divide the space between the extremeside walls into a garment receiving section and an article compartment,a partition wall extended from said intermediate wall across the garmentreceiving section and engaging the opposite extrcme side wall, meansassociated with said partition wall to support mens suits in saidgalment section, bottom, end and top walls connecting the intermediateside wall and the other extreme side wall to complete the articlereceiving compartment, and means hingedly mounting said unit in the casefor movement to and from a position aligned with either main section orcover section when the case is open.

3. In a hand luggage case of the character described, including a mainsection and a cover section hi'ngedly connected thereto, a movable unitwithin the case, said unit comprising a continuous rear wall disposedadjacent the hingedly connected walls of the main section and coversection, extreme side walls extending from said rear wall and disposedadjacent the end walls of the main section and cover section when thecase is closed, an intermediate side wall spaced a short distance fromone of said extreme side walls to divide the space between the extremeside walls into a garment receiving section and an'article compartment,a partition wall extended from said intermediate wall across the garmentreceiving section and engaging the opposite extreme side wall, meansassociated with said partition wall to support mens suits in saidgarment section, bottom, end and top walls connecting the intermediateside wall and the other extreme side wall to complete the articlereceiving compartment, means hingedly mounting said unit in the case formovement to and from a position aligned with either main section orcover section when the case is open, and means carried by one wall ofthe main section and positionable beneath the rear wall of said unitwhen the same is elevated into alignment with the cover section tosupport the same in said elevated position.

GEORGE HENRY WHEARY.

